Jan 31, 2012

I recently got back from a cruising holiday and embarked on a detox run by Whole Living. I am not really into detoxing as my days as a nurse taught me that our bodies actually detox themselves on a very regular basis (livers and kidney will do that). Yet a big part of me was excited about doing this detox, the meals didn't look terrifyingly boring and actually I was looking forward to eating in more often.

My husband and I often go out for food and our bank account shouts at us. So I was looking forward to buying fresh produce and cooking it myself and making lots of these yummy looking recipes. I was not disappointed either- they were gorgeous and even my husband looked up from his plate one day and said he couldn't believe you were allowed to eat this on a detox it tasted so good (that was the dish above).

What I didn't expect to get out of banishing alcohol, gluten, caffeine, dairy and sugar from my diet was clarity. Complete clarity in many ways.

As my body is becoming more alkaline, my head is becoming clearer, my emotions more in check, my decision making becoming easier, my digestion singing to me from someplace happy and I am so much more mindful of the whisperings of my body.

I am also so very proud of myself as I thought that after day 3 I would be dragged kicking and screaming from the nearest coffee shop. Nope, think the weak coffee on the ship had weaned me off and after day 4 I was still waiting for the massive headache to kick in. It never did!

I have realised that eating this way can be more than pleasurable and that I really enjoy cooking my own meals. When I start to reintroduce gluten and dairy, I will be very interested to see how my body reacts as I believe I have a slight intolerance to these food groups.

So this was more than just a detox, for me this was a holistic look into the very workings of my mind, what happens when I give myself the rest it needs (which I so needed on days 2-4), what kind of person I wish to be, what kind of person I can turn into when I let my emotions run away with me and how much I miss exercise (fast exercise) which I haven't been able to do whilst on the detox. Though now into week 3 my energy is returning stronger than ever, I have shed more weight than I think I put on when cruising and I feel vibrant!

All of the information is on the Whole Living website and they have some super great recipes on there for when you finish the detox. If you wish to give yourself the gift of knowing yourself more intimately (all free) then I heartedly encourage you (even if you haven't been overindulging) to give it a whirl. I think you'll thank me :)

It can be a great thing to do before embarking on a coaching journey and I will recommend it to all of my new clients in the future!